Container



Sept. 8, 1942. a ALTHEMER 2,295,508

CONTAINER Filed June 12,. 1939 fnve'fifor BEN A LTHE'IME-R for/72y Patented Sept. 8, 1942 CONTAINER- Ben Altheimer, University City, Mo., assignor of one-fourth to Alfred F. Karst and three-fourths to Myrtle Altheimer Application June 12, 1939, Serial No. 378,693 -1 Claim. (Cl. 22931) This invention relates to improvements in containers and more particularly to those made of light, strong and cheap material such as paper, cardboard, strawboard or the like, and has among its objects the production of such a container that will be simple in construction and set-up, durable and sturdy in use, neat in appearance, low in cost, and which will be otherwise satisfactory and efiicient for use wherever found applicable.

One of the objects of this inventionis to so construct such a container out of a single piece of flexible material, with an interlock or securement therefor that may be most readily and rapidly locked and released without the use of extraneous fastening means.

Another object of my invention is to make a container of the kind described, which will secure the same against accidental opening in shipping and other handling, and yet permit the container to take the rate of postage applicable to unsealed packages, thereby effecting a large saving in transportation costs.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the securing means of the container, that it will be unlatched by simply flicking the latching means from its locked position, so that this type of container may be used for frozen commodities and the like, that require the most rapid removal from the package and without tearing or otherwise destroying the package.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views:

Figure l is a plan view of the blank fromwhich the container of my invention is folded;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the same partly folded into set-up form;

Figure 3 is a similar View of the container, ready for filling;

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the container in latched and released positions; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the container showing one end double-latched ready for shipment.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, there is shown as box of generally prismatic shape, such as is used for storage and transportation of an endless list of commodities. As it is quite a postage saver to be able to use a lower than sealed rate for shipments, and yet actually retain the package in its originally locked or latched assembly, I have so designed a container that will admirably serve these ends. Also, the idea of an almost immediate unlatching without tearing is present in the embodiment shown, as will now be set forth. In Fig. 1 there is shown a blank from which a carton of my improved construction may be made, this blank preferably being of a single sheet of paper, cardboard, strawboard or other similarly cheap, strong and flexible material that will withstand the uses to which the cartons are to be put, this blank comprising a main or, larger rectangular-shaped part A and a secondary smaller rectangular-shaped part B immediately contiguous and adjoined thereto.

This blank is creased, scored, or otherwise marked to facilitate the folding operations of setting up the box, and there is a pair of vertical scores lines I and 2 extending substantially from top to bottom of the blank to define the length of the box therebetw-een. The main part A of the blank is further scored with the series of horizontally extending lines 3', 4, 5 and 6 parallel to each other and intersecting with the lines I and 2 to define the rear, bottom and front side walls 1, 8 and 9, respectively in the portion A of the blank. The defined portions to either side of the bottom 3 are the end walls Ill.

Extending diagonally outwardly to their respective corners, from the intersections of the lines I and 2 with the lines 4 and 5 respectively, are the fold lines II and I2 at each end of the blank.

A narrow extension l3-M is formed along the bottom edge of the blank, with the intermediate fold line l5 therealong to permit doubling of the material therealong, to provide a channel as will be more clearly hereinafter set forth, and a similar narrow extension Iii-l1 is formed along the top edge of the blank, with an intermediate fold l8 therealong.

The smaller part B is provided with a pair of oppositely directed extensions l9l9, one at each end of the cover or closing flap 20. The extensions I9I 9 are each provided with oppositely directed wings 2|, 2| at their ends, there being a neck formed at said wings by reducing the width of the extensions thereacross. The wings may also be provided with fold lines 22 extending longitudinally of the wings and intermediate their longitudinal edges, in order to double the material of the wings by folding.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the box is set up bybringing the side walls H], II], I and 9 upright until their bounding vertical edges are closely adjacent, whereupon the diagonal lines of fold I I and I2 at each end of the carton will cause triangular wings 23 to be formed, one at each of the meeting corners of the box, so that there is a pair of such triangular wings at each end of the box.

Then the triangular wings 23, 23 at each end of the box are brought together so that one overlaps the other and is superimposed on the adjacent 1 end wall Ill of the box.

Now referring to Fig. 3, the folded extension |3-M is turned within the top edge of the box to form a channel therealong, and the end portions of said channel strip portion are likewise brought into the box over the top edges of the end wall If! and the other of the respective pair of the triangular wing portions, to thereby clamp the end walls and their respective triangular Wing portions together along their upper edges. The folded edges along the diagonal lines I] and I2 intersect at a point intermediate the top and bottom of the box, as shown, to provide a large opening or pair of pockets 25-45 extending inwardly in opposite directions from the folded diagonal edges H and I2.

The bottom part of the box is relatively fixed or stationary, and the box as thus folded is ready for filling with the desired materials and commoditi s, and thereafter the closing flap may be moved relatively of the rest of the box and the edge strip or tab lfi-ll is inserted into the channel strip |3|4 provided along the top forward edge of the box, thus limiting the downward insertion of the front edge of the top flap into the box therealong, and in addition preventing buckling, to a certain degree, between the front and rear of the closing flap.

The extensions |9, |9 at the ends of the closing flap are tapered or otherwise reduced in width toward their lower or outermost edges to provide the neck from which the wings 2|, 2| extend in mutually opposite directions, it being noted that the width of the extension at said neck is substantially equal to the distance across the free edges of the diagonal folds at that point downwardly, so that the wings 2|, 2| may be inserted between the end wall l0 and the pair of overlapped triangular pieces 23, 23 superimposed thereon, and that when said wings 2|, 2| are in said pair of pockets thus provided, an upward pull on the extensions |9, |9 will not displace the securement provided by the latching of the said wings in said pockets. Hence, the package may be handled to quite an extent without releasing said latching accidentally, yet when it is desired to release the contents of said package, a simple flicking of the thumb nail or any other suitable means beneath said oppositely directed locking wings 2|, 2| will release them from latching cooperation and permit of the further lifting up of the closing flap and the discharging of all or part of the contents of the package.

However, there are certain conditions that, for the sake of safety and peace of mind, call for a more positive locking of the container, and in this contingency, the pair of wings may be set as in Fig. 5, by folding the wings backwardly on their single common line of juncture with the extension to which they are connected, and then folding and inserting to a position of wings parallel with the plane of the extension, in which position the pair of overlapped triangular portions shown in Fig. 5 will be engaged on opposite faces by said wings and the extension.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A container made of a single piece of flexible material comprising a bottom, front, back and side Walls, and a closing flap, the adjacent walls being united by gussets adapted to be folded diagonally flat against the container and overlying the side walls, the front wall and two adjacent gussets having an integral overlap along their top edges folded to form a trough along the front wall, and to straddle the top edges of th side walls and to interlock therewith to form a pair of opposed pockets exteriorly of the container and between said gussets and side walls, and extensions on said closing fiap to overlie the side walls and provided with oppositely extending wings, said wings being folded upon themselves on their longitudinal center lines, and then folded backwardly along the lines ofjuncture with said extensions to engage in said opposed pockets, and an auxiliary flap attached to the front edge of the closing flap and adapted to be received within said trough when the cover is closed.

BEN ALTHEIMER. 

